Despite some recent good news about childhood obesity in Kansas, the state still has problems with obesity overall.

Two- to four-year-olds who are enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program are eating healthier and losing some fat, according to a study by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Those toddlers showed a decrease in obesity from 13.7 percent in 2010 to 12.8 percent in 2014. That places Kansas at 40th, with the most obese children in the state of Virginia, which has an obesity rate of 20 percent.

The recent news that Kansas is now the seventh-fattest state in the nation points toward a future of increased health problems—including cancer. In fact, as smoking rates decline and obesity rates rise, obesity is poised to overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer. That’s why the University of Kansas Cancer Center is highlighting a weight control research study as part of its effort to win federal designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Almost one in every three adults in Kansas and Missouri is not just overweight, but obese, according to a new report from two non-profit organizations. Heartland Health Monitor's Bryan Thompson has more.

The report notes that obesity rates nationwide have stabilized—but at a level that's much too high.

Kansas is one of five states that actually saw an increase in obesity. Both Kansas and Missouri were among the eight states where rates of Type II diabetes—which is linked to obesity—increased.

According to a report issued Wednesday by a group of retired military leaders, the nation’s obesity epidemic is causing significant recruiting problems for the Department of Defense. One in three young Americans is too overweight to enlist.

The 2012 edition of America's Health Rankings says medical advances are helping people live longer, but preventable illnesses and unhealthy behaviors are undermining the quality of that longer lifespan.

The big threats, according to the report from United Health Foundation, are obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and inactive lifestyles. Kansas ranks right in the middle of the 50 states, at 24th overall. However, Kansas has one of the highest obesity rates in the U.S., with more than 630,000 obese adults.